I would like to start off by thanking everyone SO MUCH for all of the wonderful birthday wishes!! They made my day extra special and helped me to feel like I was still celebrating with everyone at home even though I’m a hemisphere away! I started my birthday celebrations a day early by going to […]

As of this morning i finished my last final so i am done with summer school at CEDEI! i cannot believe how fast time has flown. it seems like just yesterday that i got off the plane in Quito and found myself in a whole new world. that new world has now become my second […]

I spent last weekend in the coast at Montañita Beach which is one of the craziest places I have ever been! we left on Friday at noon and getting there was an adventure. we took a taxi service called a fuganeta from Las Pencas in Cuenca to Guayaquil which is 3 and a half hours […]

Last week Wednesday after blogging, I had our second of two cooking classes. We made ceviche which is a typical Ecuadorian dish of shrimp marinated in orange and lime juice. It was delicious but had a very strong, slightly overpowering flavor to it. In our Indigenous Literature and Culture class lately we have been doing […]

SATURDAY- we left for saraguro (sara means corn and guro means gold in kichwa) at 715 am. it was about a 3 hour drive away from cuenca. we stayed in a really nice hostal called Achik Wasi which means Our Home in Kichwa. it was a lot colder than cuenca and you could definitely feel […]

After blogging last Monday the rest of the day wasn’t very out of the ordinary. Although, my host mom presented her thesis that night, so there were some nerves and excitement in the family. Everything went really well, she was really excited afterwords, and she graduates the day after my birthday! So hopefully next week […]

Last Sunday, the day after our canyoning adventures, the whole group took a trip to Chordeleg, the capital of the Azuay province of Ecuador, and Gualaceo to go shopping! Chordeleg is known for their artesenias, especially for their silver. First we stopped at a house where they make the jewelry. It was really fun trying […]

Hey guys! I have had a very exciting couple of weeks! Since my last blog I have gone to the jungle, broke my computer, seen a festival at a local church, learned about superstitions and had the best pizza in the whole world. Oh! And I went canyoning too! We the for La Selva at […]

On Wednesday morning I got up early to meet the group at school to go to the jungle!! As I was leaving, my host mom gave me the biggest hug goodbye! She filled the mom role perfectly by stressing multiple times to stay safe and have fun while being really, really safe. The bus rides […]

i survived 5 days in the ecuadorian jungle! it was seriously the most intense experience but also one of the most incredible and amazing experiences of my life! i hope you enjoy reading all about my crazy adventure! 🙂 WEDNESDAY July 7 Today we embarked on our journey to la selva! Forget about caring about […]